Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-09-10


Sciences, that the annual sessions of the Ma
tional Association would be held this year
in New York, and that they must take place
in August, for the working presidents and
professors, doctors and engineers, teachers
and students, of which it is composed, could
not give any later time to the gathering,
there was CONSERVATION in and out of the
ranks. In the Academy of Sciences are the
most scholarly men in New York city. 1t
represents as faithful and devoted scientific
work as is done in the country-and is re-
spected accordingly-but naturally it does
not attract the society element to any great
extent, nor much of the money that floats
from Wall street to opera bouffe But the
credit of New York must be sustained for hos
pitality, even in August, and ways and means
provided for the entertainment of l 900 per-
sons, more or less. many of whom are per-
sonages whose single presence would be
sufficient to give distinction to an ordinary
reception or tea party. A Local COM
mittee and ladies' Auxiliary" committee
were formed and meetings held. On the
ladies' auxiliary committee were some of the
best known names in New York but few of
them put in an appearance either at the pre-
liminary meetings or later, but especially
later. AS if to brighten timid souls and
bodies, the heats of July came down with
torrid severity, and only those accustomed
to work at all seasons felt they could face the
ordeal of a week of meetings and receptions,
excursions and lunches with the thermome
ter probably ranging from ninety-five to a
hundred in the shade.
So some of them fled the city, failed in prof
fered hospitality, and left double duty to be
performed by those who remained. But Prov
idence is on the side of pluck. July was melt
ing, but August has been lovely and cool as a
collection of cucumbeis, and bright and breezy
as May. Never was finer week for eXpedi-
tons than that covered by the visit of the
scientific convention, and if there had been
courage and confidence on the part of those
best able to meet the demands made upOn
them, there would have been nothing left to
be desired.
As it was, however, the week was full of
work and full of enjoyment. Naturally, the
principal value which attaches to these an
nual meetings is their social character and
the opportunity given for men to meet
whose labors have made them known to
each other, but whose individual work is
often performed in absolute loneliness and
isolation, or who expend their strength in
classroom or laboratory and rarely meet
men of their own kind. It'll, there is much
that has a positive, practical and scientific
value in the researches and their results, as
developed at the meetings of the sections,
and stimulus is invariably given to the
popular advancement of scientific thought.
A fine opportunity was afforded the society
leaders of New York city to do a gracious and
graceful thing by inviting the wives and
daughters of eminent men, visitors to New
York city. to some of the typical houses, and
making them the recipients of kind of hos
pitality not to be matched when the object
is considered worthy the effort. These wo-
men are many of them, as brilliant, as
intelligent, as worthy of distinction, as their
husbands, or fathers, or brothers. They
belong to refined and cultivated, though
not usually wealthy class. They live quiet
lives, but make up the "best' society
of their community and neighborhood.
They go but little from home, but have
read and thought, and lived in the region
of active, intelligent intellectual work, and
are keenly appreciative of all the evidences
of progressive and advanced civilization
Among them were, of course, ladies from
Washington, Boston, Baltimore Cincinnati
Philadelphia and Chicago, accustomed to all
the later influences of the finest social life
but there were others from the far West and
South, who, while perhaps equally gifted
and intelligent, have led more secluded lives
to whom every fresh object was a source of
interest, and who would have been pro-
foundry touched by recognition from the
fortunate jewellers among the elegances and
entertainments of modern luxurious city life
But such individual courtesies were not
extended. The women who had it in their
power were out of town. They probably
would not have considered it in their
province if they had been in town. More's
the pity, for interchange between intelligent
workers and intelligent idlers would be good
for both. There was a ladies reception" it
is true, at the Metropolitan Opera House;
but the reception" committee was con-
spicuous by its absence-only four ladies
being present to receive out of the long
and imposing list of names. The interior
of the opera house presented a charm
ing spectacle in ITSELF the parquet
having been foored over for promenading,
the stage filled with palms and foliage plants,
the tiers of boxes thrown open and good
music provided . The only drawback was
the absence of the social feature. The 1000
or 1900 persons present distributed them
selves through the great spaces, filled the
boxes and looked upon floor that contained
only few scattered groups. But the sight
of the dazzlingly brilliant house was great
pleasure to even the savants, and they lis
tened with absorbed ate ntion to the descrip-
ton of its enhanced glories on a grand ball
or Wagnerian opera night.
The work of the sections during the week
was not entirely technical. Perhaps the
topic of widest interest was that of the 18TH
milan transit route and the superior features
and greater availability of the Nicaraguan
canal. Should the able discussion of this
question assist to settle it positive public
good would be gained.
But for the majority of the non-scientfic
the economic" section was the one that
proved the most attractive. Here were dis
cussed the call round" education of boys and
girls as carried on in the manual training
schools, the scientific basis of food for in
fants, the value Of food products, their uses
and the laws of supply, the growth of wealth.
and the reasons for increase in business in
this country. The papers were read by such
eminent authorities as Professor James, of
the University of Pennsylvania; Mr.. G. l..
Woodward, of st. Louis; Professor Atwater,